Nat - 4th October
Roz - 8th October
Gena - 8th October
Penny - 8th October
Lora - 12th October
Lori - 17th October
Mark - 21st October
Michelle - 22nd October
Sherry - 23rd October
Teddi - 28th October
....this book by Val McDermid. She's a bookworm like me and really enjoyed the story and knows I also like thrillers. The thrillers I normally read are set in America so it will be a nice change to read one set here in England!
She also included some Dove Dark Chocolates (individually wrapped). (Now you know she knows me really well - I LOVE chocolate!) With the day I had under my belt, I scoffed them pretty quick and was surprised to find a lovely thought written into every wrapper! I have added these to my list of things to buy when I am next in America - not only was the chocolate lovely but I really like the idea of the promise in every chocolate. It's like a surprise gift.
A genetic anomaly allows a young man to teleport himself anywhere. He discovers this gift has existed for centuries and finds himself in a war that has been raging for thousands of years between "Jumpers" and those who have sworn to kill them.
Hello people?! It's a sign, right?! I HAD to get it...... never fear, I DID buy it. Eventhough I bought it for home (to use as my clock radio / alarm clock) I have it plugged in and turned on now and can I say ..... it's the new love of my life ;) It's fabbydoo! I love it.Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
~Berthold Auerbach~
Dr Hauschka's Daily Body Care Kit!!! In it is Quince Body Moisturiser, Rose Body Moisturiser, Hand Cream, Blackthorn Body Oil, Rose Body Oil, Lemon Bath, Rose Body Wash and Blackthorn Body Wash. How nice is THAT??! He hasn't given me a Birthday Present since my 30th (which is more than OK) but it just meant it was a complete surprise .... He said he thought it would come in handy on all my travels but I plan on trying it out tonight :)
Jo, Marleen and me in front of the Atomium
The Grand-Place
The Grand-Place from another angle
The Western Shop in Brussels!
The famous "Pissing Boy"
Since it’s Friday and it’s already been a chaotic morning (I came into to find the alarm blaring … and no one knows the code!!!) I thought I would FINALLY share some pictures I took of our fun and fantastic weekend in Brussels.
Fun and fantastic is a pretty good way to describe it. I had never been to Brussels before and I really liked it. It’s unlike anywhere I’ve been before … that, or it’s like a lot of places I’ve been before but all put in one spot. It’s very contemporary, Parisian, stark ….. everything! My head was on a constant swivel! I’m used to places being “one style” so it was mind-blowing (to some extent) to see everything so different …. on the same street, in the city, in the countryside. It was really innovative that way! And I loved it.
I arrived first (by plane) and Marleen took me straight to her apartment which is lovely. She’s done a fantastic job decorating it and also making it feel welcoming. We say this everytime we get together, but it’s always really nice to SEE someone’s home and neighbourhood. You can visualise it so much better when emailing etc. She gave me the tour and it wasn’t long before we drove into the belly of the beast (Brussels) and picked up Jo.
Well as you can imagine when the three of us get together … trouble and laughter soon followed.
Firstly we were waiting in the arrival area for the EuroStar and despite Jo’s train having arrived, no Jo….. that’s when we found out they came in on a different platform. Off we rushed … but we couldn’t find Jo and she couldn’t find us. Thank goodness for mobile ‘phones. We were trying to navigate towards one another with “orange pillars” the only prominent feature Jo could see. Well I saw the pillars and Jo but she still couldn’t see us so despite saying (like a pantomime) BEEEEEEHIND YOU, poor Jo kept turning around in circles …. It was hilarious.
Two minutes later it was like the three stooges again as we tried to enter the car park. (I tell you if you see three familiar faces pressing buttons and talking into an intercom on “Brussels Funniest Home Videos”, it will be best to look away….)
I also discovered a new talent during my weekend in Brussels. My ability to find Marleen’s car anywhere, anytime. It started at the airport... eventhough I had not actually seen Marleen’s car before (apart from in pictures). I wonder if I can go on the road with this new gift?!!!
Marleen had put together a really fun itinerary cramming in as much as possible and as well as seeing Brussels (on a guided tour), we also got to see Marleen’s work (one word …. P-O-S-H!). We sniggered and giggled as we tried to look “professional” walking through the foyer (we didn’t want to get Marleen in trouble) and I was delighted to meet some of her colleagues, namely Bob Trainor (his wife worked on the Hillary campaign) and Irish Brian who recommended a book to Marleen who in turn recommended it to me. Her desk is lovely too and it feels like a really lovely place to work (in fact I declared I wanted to work there when I move to Brussels!) We also got to see Marleen’s parents apartment and can I just say this about her parents – ADORABLE!!! They had pink champagne chilled and ready for us …. And it’s best to mention here what lightweights Jo and I are as we got giggly then sleepy afterwards!! They live in a lovely apartment with a gorgeous view of a walking park. We also got to meet Anita and Eddie there.
We also got to visit Erik and Nadia and the boys. They live in an absolutely beautiful part of Belgium – so scenic and gorgeous. (It’s famous for stilt walking). This was one of my favourite parts of the trip. Their home is fantastic – very Scandinavian in design and their garden was awesome. They have chickens (COOL) and grow their own nuts (walnuts), fruit and vege. Erik had done all the hard landscaping (decking and so forth) and it was really professionally done.
Speaking of Erik, he looked SO WELL (despite being in his 30s, 2.5 years ago he had a stroke). Their English was impeccable as well. Nadia was about to start a new job in Gent on Monday and Erik starts at the library in October. Nadia had also put on a really lovely spread – cold meats, garlic breads, olives, cheese etc. It was so sweet and thoughtful of them to open their home and welcome us so warmly. I couldn’t help but think the whole time what a remarkable woman Nadia was. Not only was she so friendly and funny with us but everything she had gone through with Erik and having two small boys to also look after.
And of course to top it all off was the Bon Jovi concert. Marleen got us fantastic seats …. Oh and when we entered the Stadium gates, they have a CD booklet filled with facts on Bon Jovi and a bag of sweets – THIS IS MY KIND OF TOWN! The stadium was massive and the opening act was a Flemish Band (Euro Punk) called Nailpin. This quiet, tranquil looking (and not to mention, cute) lead singer would stand there and suddenly go off on one. I wish I could describe adequately how his legs and arms went akimbo and in every single direction at once. It brought a laugh every time! Despite being Euro Punk, it was quite good and I am getting a copy of the CD from Marleen.
Their bass player was getting married that day so they did a video for him and his new wife and panned around so we could all clap and cheer them on their wedding day … and I saw the video on their website. So that was cool too!
Bon Jovi was fab …. And I swear if I only had a hairbrush to sing into, it would have been my teenage years all over again! He sang all the favourites like Bad Medicine, Wanted Dead or Alive, Livin’ on a Prayer etc. Really fun night! And as we left we walked past the Atomium lit up – really pretty (I want to live in one of the pods!)
All in all, it was a fun, fun, fun, fun and fabulous weekend. I swear despite living in the Northern Hemisphere for seven years, I can’t shake my Australian upbringing because despite this being a European / British summer (and if you live here you KNOW how unpredictable it is) I was optimistic enough to bring flip flops and cut off jeans! Next time, even if it’s in the middle of a heat wave, I am packing a bit of everything including Eskimo furs! LOL!
And that's because there WILL be another time!!! Marleen was a really great host!
